Crack IIT-JEE without Coaching: Tips and Tricks

November 22, 2017

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About JEE Main exam

Joint Entrance Exam, or JEE as it is commonly referred to, is believed to be one of the toughest exams to crack. This reputation is well deserved as students devote months of preparation, patience and hard work to crack this exam. However, the exam ensures admission into top engineering colleges in India, making it all worth it in the end.

It’s the most common belief that in order to ace JEE Main, it is essential to join a coaching institute. Undoubtedly, a helping hand in form of guidance and coaching can help one secure a decent score in the exam. However, a lot of students still believe in the capabilities and aptitude they possess and decide against joining a coaching center. They believe in self-study and maintain their own pattern for that.

When it comes to next year’s exam, you can find all the information related to the exam on this JEE Main blog page.

What is self-study?

When students have confidence in their abilities and believe in themselves, they study on their own. They find the motivation to study within themselves instead of looking for the same in the coaching institutes. This is how we define self-study.

The importance of it is too great to be neglected. Regardless of the number of hours you spend in classes, if self-study is neglected, you can kiss your dreams goodbye. The fact that most people don’t realize is that self-study is the necessary portion of JEE preparation, while coaching is merely an optional one. Like an energy drink, coaching will give you the boast you need, but the running has to be done by you. It can reduce the effort you have to put in, but it can certainly not replace it.

Can students prepare for IIT JEE only through self-study?

Absolutely.

Hundreds of students every year clear the exam without ever requiring any coaching. Their secret? The zeal to study. We have already established that JEE requires immense hard-work, dedication and practice.

It is very important to understand that only you can practice questions for yourself, no one else make you do it or do it for you. If you attend the world’s best coaching classes, but fail to practice at home, you have essentially wasted everyone’s time, mostly yours.

In other case, if you ensure regular practice, but do not attend any coaching class, you might crack the exam. You would also save a lot of time that would normally be wasted commuting to and fro between your coaching and home.

If you believe that you possess the ability to crack the exam through self-study, here are some tips and tricks on how should one prepare for JEE Main without coaching:

Stay focused

First things first, its very important be mentally prepared for all the struggle and hard work that is to follow your decision of appearing for JEE. The preparation is extremely taxing. You must keep a positive approach towards your goal.

The level of competition has been rising exponentially. Apart from that, we’re always under peer pressure, making it very easy to get disheartened and doubt yourself.

Therefore, it is important to just focus on your own preparation and believing in yourself. Due to the intensity of the preparation, it is very important to be ready to put in all the mental and physical effort required to clear the exam.

Have a strategy for preparation

Being organized is one of the cardinal factors that make a difference when the result comes. For a highly competitive exam like JEE Main, winning will be little difficult if not all that impossible without a proper preparation strategy.

Also, pay attention while making the exam preparation strategy. Prefer allocating more time to subjects and topics you are weak in. Following the preparation strategy by heart is essential to score higher in the exam.

Study relevant topics only

You should know all the relevant topics for the exam. For this, you should check the syllabus at regular intervals, so that you can collect study material for preparation. This will also ensure that you do not deviate from the topic at hand and not study irrelevant material.

Referring to the right preparation material, such as preparation books and previous years question papers will go a long way into your preparations. NCERT syllabus is considered sufficient to clear JEE Main.

Time management is the key

Following a strict timetable as per the syllabus is very important if you want to cover all the topics on time and will leave ample amount of time for revision.

Making notes of topics while preparing for them would cut a lot of time during. You would thus solve more and more problems and discover better tricks. Try to give more time to chapters and topics that you feel you need to get better at. This will help you to perform well in the exam.

Discuss with JEE Experts

It is always a great idea to know tips and tricks from those who have ‘been there, done that’. Have conversations with students who have cleared JEE Main. Discussing with teachers or professors is also advised. Try to gain as much insight into JEE Main as you can. They will let you know the Do’s and Don’ts for the same.

Have a group to study with

Working with a competitive study group helps you successfully prepare for JEE. Group discussions create a cooperative environment, helping you to multiply your knowledge exponentially, while also being a great way to have social interaction. Students can Quiz and challenge each other with questions from JEE Main syllabus.

However, the group should be of people who actually want to study. Make sure none of the people invited are a cause for distractions. Often one amongst the group will bring up irrelevant topics and cause everyone else to lose focus in their studies. Try and keep rules in order to avoid such distractions.

Practice with mock tests

One great way to assess your skills and knowledge is through mock tests. However, candidates should not start taking mock tests too early during their preparation. They should start taking the mock tests only when they have completed all the topics and subjects.

Ideally, taking mock tests a month before the exam makes more sense. That is because mock tests are for practice and not for studying. This will create an exam-like situation and will let you know about the sections you still need to work upon and the strategies you need to change or adopt.

Solve previous year question papers

One of the most important things to do is to solve previous year question papers. Doing so is of great value as solving previous year question papers have many benefits. It helps students in understanding the exam pattern, the type of questions asked, syllabus and of course the complexity level of the questions being asked in JEE Main.

One of the most beneficial things about solving the previous year question papers is that it enables aspirants to enhance speed, accuracy and have a strategy to attempt the question paper.

Make sure to revise

While preparing for any exam, revision is of utmost importance and JEE Main is no exception. Covering new topics without revising the already covered ones will be a wastage of time.

Without revision, it is highly likely to forget the concepts that have already been covered in the past. However, devoting time and revising them in a systematic way will save the time that would otherwise be required to invest on learning them yet again.

Revision will also help you in increasing your test-taking speed and overcoming panic. It will give you a clearer picture about the topics you’re weak in.

Do not begin new topics close to the exam date

If you are following this article, you know you should have a schedule for time management. Make sure to complete all your study topics a few weeks before JEE Main. Please ensure that you keep last two weeks only for revision and taking mock tests. Beginning new topics a few days before the examination wouldn’t help and might possibly do more harm than good.

Keep away from distractions

One must avoid unnecessary distractions during the exam days. Therefore, keep your social media interactions like Facebook, WhatsApp etc. to a minimum. However, recently many social media groups have started offering some important exam tips. If you do plan on spending time on social media, you can check out such groups as well.

Maintain your health as well

Don’t over push for studies. Ensure you take rest and exercise regularly. Too many sleepless nights and improper food will take a toll on your health. Having a good diet is as essential as studying. Your brain needs regular energy and rest to work and function efficiently.

You must get at least 8 hours of proper sleep to relax your brain. A regular hobby like running, singing etc. will help your brain refresh and get ready to absorb another few hours of studying. Monotony gets in the way of the brain absorbing new concepts and lessons, so it’s necessary to keep giving it breaks at regular intervals.

If you are preparing for JEE, you need to be disciplined, motivated and focused. No amount of time spent at coaching classes will give you the experience that comes only after practice. You need to have focus, a strategy for preparation, and time management skills.

Last but not the least, do not begin new topics close to the exam date. Remember to keep distractions away. Make sure to keep your preparations up. All the best.